I was looking around my little stash for a wine that would serve well as a quaffer this evening, and as a good accompaniment to spicy food tomorrow night, so I opened this CÃ´tes du RhÃ´ne. Very tasty, though it calls out for food more than for quaffing.

Aromas of dark fruits and mustard on the nose are followed up on the palate with earth, minerals, dried herbs, and dark coffee subtly framed by dark berries. This is a wine on the lighter side of medium-bodied, though there are enough tannins to provide a good dose of thickness and texture. 13% Alc., $9 (Premier, Buffalo)

CÃ´tes du RhÃ´ne red wines like this often taste kind of "fleshy" or "herbal" to me, so I will sniff my spice and herb collection to see if I come up with other descriptors.

According to the Guigal website, this wine consists of 50% syrah, 25% mourvedre, and 25% grenache.

This is an impressively complex wine, especially considering it cost under $10. Now it tastes like slightly charred toast with dried herbs and crispy chicken skin, all with a small dollop of cranberry. Very engaging. I didn't get to drink it with dinner (quick tuna sandwich) tonight, but tomorrow I'm going to make herbed pork chops and taters. According to Immer, it should keep in the fridge for another day or two.